Tapered Wedge Sled Alignment for Surgical Stapler End Effector
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical staplers face challenges in maintaining precise alignment and stability of staple apertures with staple forming pockets during the stapling process, leading to potential misalignment and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A wedge sled with a cartridge wall support feature and multiple surface finishes, including a tapered distal end, is designed to provide rigidity and alignment by supporting the staple cartridge walls and staple drivers, ensuring proper alignment of staple apertures with forming pockets through vertical and horizontal stabilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a conventional sled design is used, then the device complexity is lower, but the alignment precision and stability of staple apertures with forming pockets deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The sled incorporates a tapered distal end portion with specific geometric features (cam surfaces, inclined surfaces) at localized regions to provide alignment and stabilization functions. This allows precise control of staple driver and aperture alignment without requiring the entire sled structure to be complex, resolving the contradiction between local precision and overall simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The sled's geometric features (cam surfaces, inclined surfaces) are designed to preliminarily position and align the staple drivers and apertures before the actual stapling operation. This preliminary alignment action ensures precision during stapling without requiring complex real-time adjustment mechanisms, maintaining device simplicity while achieving high alignment precision.
2Ease of manufacture
If the sled structure is simplified, then the ease of manufacture increases, but the rigidity and stability of the staple cartridge walls deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The sled features localized geometric structures (cam surfaces, inclined surfaces, tapered portions) that provide rigidity and stability only where needed for staple driver support and aperture alignment. The rest of the sled maintains a simpler structure for ease of manufacture, resolving the contradiction between localized stability and overall manufacturing simplicity.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a tapered distal end is added to the sled, then the alignment stability improves, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sled incorporates a tapered distal end with specific geometric parameters (angles, dimensions) that optimize alignment stability. These parameter changes are integrated into the sled's basic structure through standard manufacturing processes, achieving improved alignment stability without proportionally increasing manufacturing complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A staple driver actuator for a surgical stapler includes a base having at least one bottom surface. The bottom surface defines a plane and is configured to slide longitudinally relative to a jaw of the surgical stapler. The base also has at least one top surface parallel to the plane, a distal lower cam surface inclined relative to the plane, and at least one distal upper cam surface inclined relative to the plane. The at least one distal upper cam surface is opposed from the distal lower cam surface. The staple driver actuator further includes at least one rail extending upwardly from the base. The rail includes at least one rail cam surface longitudinally spaced apart from the distal upper cam surface, and the rail cam surface is inclined relative to the plane.